Philippians 2:2-4; Gospel Unity ~ 20231029 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

10/29 Philippians 2:2-4; Gospel Unity/Humility; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20231029_philippians-2_2-4.mp3

Fill Up My Joy [πληρώσατέ μου τὴν χαρὰν]

Paul has expressed his joy in thanksgiving for the partnership of the Philippian church with him in the gospel.

Philippians 1:4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

He expressed his joy in the gospel being preached regardless of motives (1:18). His hope is to visit them again for their progress and joy in the faith (1:25). But now he exhorts them, whether he is able to be present with them or absent from them, to fill up his joy.

He had joy, but his joy was not as full as it could be. In this section he communicates to them what it was that would fill up his joy, and this is his man point and primary purpose in writing this letter.

His exhortation to them is founded on gospel benefits that they had received; he invites them to reflect on the blessings they are experiencing in Christ as a source of their own joy;

Philippians 2:1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Because of the exhortation and courage you find in Christ, because of the comfort of being loved by God, because of your fellowship with the Holy Spirit and fellowship with other believers created by the indwelling Spirit, because of the tender affectionate mercy you have received, in response to these gospel benefits, fill up my joy.

Gospel Unity

How are they to fill up his joy? He gives them four positive exhortations, two negative things to avoid, an attitude to pursue; and an action to prioritize.

First, four positives; Complete my joy in this way; ‘think the same, hold the same love, fellow-souled, think the one’

Think the Same [ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ φρονῆτε]

Be of the same mind; literally ‘think the same’. Think the same -what does that mean? Does this indicate robotic unanimity, thought police dictating cult-like conformity in everything? Let’s look at how Paul uses this phrase, and the context to get clarity.

Paul uses this phrase twice in Romans, which helps us flesh out what he means by it. In Romans 12, Paul is exhorting us to respond to the gospel by presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to God, renewing our minds, and living as one body in Christ, connected to one another, using our differing gifts to serve one another. He says in verses 9-17:

Romans 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.16 Live in harmony with one another [τὸ αὐτὸ εἰς ἀλλήλους φρονοῦντες]. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Think the same in Romans 12:16 is translated ‘live in harmony’. It must be characterized by love, hating evil, clinging to what is good, brotherly affection, showing honor, serving the saints, coming alongside others in their joy or in their pain. It means laying down pride, living peaceably with others, even those we disagree with. There is diversity of gifts in the body, as well as diversity of opinions, which is what makes laying down our pride so essential.

He uses the phrase again in Romans 15 in the context of more mature Christians bearing with our weaker brothers rather than pleasing only ourselves (15:1-2) and points us to the ultimate aim of ‘thinking the same’;

Romans 15:5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another [τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν ἐν ἀλλήλοις], in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This ‘thinking the same’ is not robotic unanimity; this comes in the context of strong differences in religious observance by believers in Romans 14.

Romans 14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ... 5 ...Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

There is room for differences of conviction on secondary issues. He tells us that this harmony, this thinking the same is a gift from God. Thinking the same here is directly connected with Christ Jesus, and the ultimate aim of this unity is bringing glory to God.

At the end of 2 Corinthians, he says:

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another [τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖτε], live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

There were differences of opinion in Corinth, which made restoration and pursuit of living at peace necessary. Thinking the same does not require unanimity of opinion on every secondary issue; rather it requires thinking the same about Jesus, about the gospel, and the humility to live at peace with those who disagree over secondary issues.

Have the Same Love [τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγάπην ἔχοντες]

Complete my joy by thinking the same, holding the same love. Paul prayed in 1:9 that their ‘love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment’, which indicated that they had room to grow in the area of love. He rejoiced that many preach Christ from good will, out of love (1:16). Love is what gives great comfort to believers (2:1), God’s love for us; specifically Christ’s love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom.5:8). We are exhorted to have the same love; we are to enter in to Christ’s love, to ‘walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us’ (Eph.5:2, Gal.2:20). We are to extend this Christlike love to one another.

Fellow-Souled [σύμψυχοι]

Complete my joy by thinking the same, having the same love, be fellow-souled.

This is a one word compound adjective; fellow-souled; the prefix indicates having something together, jointly or mutually. This is attached to the word for soul or inner being, inner life, drive or passion. In Ephesians 6:6 he uses this word for doing the will of God from the heart or inner being. In Colossians 3:23 he exhorts to work from the heart or inner being for the Lord and not for men. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8 Paul says he shared not only the gospel but also his own soul, his inner being, his motives, his passions, his desires.

Have a common soul; as believers we share a common inner life, a common drive, a common passion. From where does our common inner life come? What is our one shared passion?

Think The One [τὸ ἓν φρονοῦντες]

Complete my joy in this way; ‘think the same, hold the same love, be of one soul or inner passion, think the one’

He returns to the verb ‘to think’, but this time he says ‘the one think’. Think the one thing. What is the one thing we are to focus on? Paul has already told us what his one thing is; in 1:18 he rejoiced that Christ is proclaimed, regardless of motive. In 1:20;

Philippians 1:20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Paul’s one thing is that Christ be magnified, that Christ is proclaimed.

‘Think’ means more than mere intellectual reasoning; there is a different word for that [λογίζομαι]. This word for ‘think’ involves the emotions, attitude, and will, as well as the intellect. This is a response of the whole person striving after the one thing. To make this clear he sandwiches having a common soul or inner life passion and having the same love in between thinking the same thing and thinking the one thing.

Not According to Selfish Ambition [μηδὲν κατ’ ἐριθείαν]

Fill up my joy by thinking the same, holding the same love, a common soul, think the one thing.

Then, two negatives in verse 3; ‘nothing according to selfish ambition; nothing according to conceit’. He used this word to describe those who preached Christ out of impure motives in 1:17; those motivated by selfish ambition or contention, characterized by envy and rivalry.

Not According to Conceit [μηδὲ κατὰ κενοδοξίαν]

Nothing according to conceit. Conceit or vain glory, an empty promotion of ones own opinion. The adjective form of this word is used in Galatians 5:26

Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The unity of purpose that will fill up Paul’s joy cannot co-exist with puffed-up arrogance or self-promoting rivalry. Stop pursuing your own interests and your own glory. These things must die.

Gospel Humility [ἀλλὰ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν]

Finally, he exhorts us to how to relate to one another, not this, not this, but this. Not selfish ambition, not vain conceit. But humility. Humility was not valued as a virtue in the pagan world. Humility was associated with weakness, lowliness, slavery. They prized independence, strength, and self-sufficiency.

But humility is a distinctly Christian virtue, because the Christian must depend on God for everything absolutely. The gospel is all about receiving a gift we are completely unworthy of, and desperately in need of. We contribute nothing to our own salvation. That is what grace is. Peter reminds us to:

1 Peter 5:5 ...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Our necessary humility toward God must spill over into humility toward one another. So Paul says ‘in humility count others above yourselves’. Rivalry and conceit puts me before you. Humility puts you before me. Unity requires humility.

Not Each His Own But Also The Other’s [μὴ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστοι σκοποῦντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἑτέρων ἕκαστοι]

Paul adds another negative to avoid and another positive to pursue; not each looking out for that of his own, but also each that of the other.

Our instinct is self-focus. Looking out for number one. If I don’t look out for me, who will? Jesus will! Jesus can look out for you much better than you can! When we begin to trust him to care for us, we are freed to care for others. Do you have any encouragement in Christ? Any comfort of love? Any fellowship of the Spirit? Any affection and sympathy? If so, you are freed to put the needs of others before your own.

Gospel Unity Fleshed Out

Paul is calling us to unity of mind, heart and soul, to set aside self-centered pursuits and pursue the good of others. If this is not uniformity or conformity, what does this kind of unity look like? This is what he held out in 1:27;

Philippians 1:27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

Unity by seeking to live in step with the gospel; having lives that flesh out the good news. Lives that point to Christ. Lives that receive God’s grace and reflect that grace to others. Unity that stands firm in the one Spirit. Unity because we are fixated on a common goal; one driving passion, one ruling principle; not our own advancement, but striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.

What is your driving passion, your all consuming aim?

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2023.10.29 Sermon Notes

Philippians 2:2-4; Gospel Unity

Fill up my joy

Philippians 1:4-5, 18, 25

Think the same

Romans 12:9-18; Romans 15:5-6; 2 Corinthians 13:11

Have the same love

Philippians 1:9, 16; 2:1

Romans 5:8; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2

Fellow-souled (have a common passion)

Ephesians 6:6; Colossians 3:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:8

The one thing think

Philippians 1:18, 20

Not according to selfish ambition

Philippians 1:17

Not according to empty conceit

Galatians 5:26

But in humility count others above yourselves

1 Peter 5:5-7

Not each looking out for his own but also the other’s

Philippians 1:27

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Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org